Military Same-Sex Spouses Eligible for Benefits Today

WASHINGTON – Today the same-sex spouses of military service members become eligible to receive a range of federal benefits, thanks to a Department of Defense policy change that was announced last month implementing the U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Starting today, spousal and family benefits will be available to all legally-married military spouses.

“Today the U.S. military is one step closer to righting the wrong of inequality in our armed forces,” said Human Rights Campaign (HRC) president Chad Griffin. “The sacrifices our nation’s gay and lesbian service members and their families make every day should be valued and recognized, and this country owes these heroes every possible measure of support.”

Among the benefits available to same-sex spouses are military I.D. cards, healthcare coverage, housing allowances and survivor benefits. Spouses can claim the entitlements retroactively, going back to the day of the Supreme Court’s DOMA ruling – June 26, 2013. Last month the Pentagon announced another new policy, allowing gay and lesbian service members to take up to 10 days of leave in order to travel to a state where same-sex couples can legally marry. Prior to the Supreme Court ruling, HRC urged former Secretary Leon Panetta and the Pentagon to extend every possible benefit not specifically barred by DOMA to gay and lesbian service members, and HRC continues to push for full equality in the armed forces.

Recently other federal agencies have issued similar rulings or guidance regarding the invalidation of Section 3 of DOMA, including Department of the Treasury, Office of Personnel Management, Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Homeland Security. Other agencies are expected to announce decisions on how benefits will flow to same-sex couples.

The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender political organization with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that LGBT Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.

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To contact HRC please visit our contact us page. If you are a member of the media, you can reach our press office at: (202) 572-8968 or email press@hrc.org.

5 Things to Know about LGBTQ Issues

1. There are roughly 10 million LGBTQ adults in the U.S., or roughly 4.1 percent of the population.

2. Sixteen percent of same-sex couples are raising children according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2011 Current Population Survey.

3. There is no federal law that consistently protects LGBTQ individuals from employment discrimination; there are no state laws in 28 states that explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, and in 30 states that do so based on gender identity.

4. More than 50 anti-LGBTQ bills have been filed in 19 state legislatures in the 2017 state legislative session.

5. The FBI reported 1,167 hate crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity in 2015. This is likely a dramatic undercount since thousands of agencies didn't submit any data and reporting is not mandatory.